GB2034563A - Enclosure devices - Google Patents

Abstract

An enclosure device provides enclosure space for receiving a plant container, said device comprising a platform portion (16) and a wall portion (11, 12, 13, 14, 15) depending from said platform portion, said platform portion comprising an access aperture for communicating between said enclosure space and the exterior of said device, said wall portion defining the border of a further access aperture for communicating between said enclosure space and the exterior of said device, said enclosure device also comprising at least one mount means (22) for mounting at least one support for at least one plant contained by said received container. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Enclosure devices This invention relates to enclosure devices intended to enclose containers of soil for growing plants.

The soil for growing plants may be contained in pots or in plastic bags through the top of which a hole has been cut to provide access to the soil contained therein. Although some pots are decorative, the usual pots and plastic bags are not decorative and the space around the pots and bags soon becomes cluttered with garden rubbish and looks unsightly. The present invention provides an enclosure for such soil containers which will hide such garden rubbish and the soil containers from general view, leaving a space at the top through which the plants can grow and the soil can be watered.

According to the invention there is provided an enclosure device of thin-walled construction for providing a continuous surround around a soil container, the enclosure device being formed with an aperture in its top surface and means for mounting supports for plants.

An example of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a diagrammatic perspective view of an enclosure device according to the invention, and Figure 2 is a section through one wall of the device.

The device shown in the drawing is generally rectangular, and is adapted to fit around and over a rectangular plastic bag containing soil for growing plants. The plastic bag can be used on its own with a panel or panels removed from its top surface to allow access to the soil, but garden rubbish soon accumulates around the base of the bag and looks unsightly when the plants are grown for decoration.

The present enclosure is placed over the plastic bag so that any garden rubbish is hidden between the walls of the enclosure device and the bag itself.

As can be seen in Figure 2, the device is of thin-walled construction and is preferably formed by injection moulding. It would however be possible to use fibre-glass or vacuum moulding techniques, although such techniques would not produce articles of such high quality or low cost per article.

The walls taper upwardly and inwardly generally from their lower edge 11. There is an initial vertical portion 12, followed by an ogee portion comprising a lower concave portion 13 and an upper convex portion 14. Above the ogee portion there is a further vertical wall 15 and a horizontal platform 16 extends inwardly to the central aperture which is defined by a downwardly extending vertical wall 17. Between the top of the vertical portion and the horizontal platform there is a ridge 18 intended to prevent water on the horizontal platform from escaping over the outer walls. At the lower edge of the device, there may be provided a short horizontal inturned lip shown in dotted lines at 21. Such a lip provides additional strength in the thin-walled construction, but may form an inconvenient obstruction if such members are to be stacked one on top of the other.If members are intended for such stacking, it may be convenient to make the portions referred to above as vertical inclined slightly inwardly towards their upper ends so that these portions of adjacent members fit one inside the other. Preferably, the walls on all four sides of the enclosure device are of the same shape.

As plants grow upwards from the soil container through the central aperture in the enclosure device, they will probably require support. Support is provided from support members mounted by means of holes 22 in the horizontal plafform 16 of the device.

Further support may be provided for these members by passing them into the soil in the container surrounded by the enclosure device, or by providing a further aperture in a member (not shown) below the horizontal platform. The horizontal platform could also be provided with sockets to receive the support members.

The support members can be simple rods, or could be flexible members bent into an inverted U-shape with the ends of the U inserted into respective holes in the horizontal platform. The holes could be provided elsewhere in the enclosure member if desired.

Other decorative shapes than the ogee curve could be provided for the side walls of the enclosure member. For example, the side walls could be moulded to resemble decorative stone.

The enclosure member is preferably formed in one piece, but it may be convenient for ease of transport and storage to form the member in a plurality of separable pieces. For example, the rectangular member illustrated could be divided along a diagonal line through opposite corners to form two identical constituent halves, and these could be stored one on top of the other.

The enclosure member is adapted for uses in connection with plants other than enclosing a plant container. For example, if the illustrated enclosure member is turned upside down, it forms a trough in which flowerpots can be arranged. The central aperture may be covered if it is desired to prevent water and plant rubbish from falling through it. A suitable cover would be a rectangular member with side walls to fit around the inside edges of the vertical walls around the inner edge of the central aperture of the enclosure member. If the enclosure device requires strengthening when used upside down as a trought, a rectangular frame can be placed inside the walls at their edge remote from the central aperture.

if desired the device may be provided with one or more lugs (illustrated in broken lines at 25 in Figure 1) extending outwardly from the bottom edge 11.

These lugs can be secured to the ground, for example by pegs, in order to stop the device being blown away or otherwise moved. The lugs can easily be removed if not required. The lugs 25 have holes 26 to receive fixing pegs. The lugs 25 are slightly off the centre line of the device, and recesses 27 are formed on the other side of the centre line to receive lugs 25 of adjacent devices when a plurality of devices are placed in line.

Claims (1)

1. An enclosure device suitable for providing enclosure space for receiving at least one plant container, said device comprising an enclosure member defining said enclosure space, said enclosure member comprising first and second access apertures each for communicating between said enclosure space and the exterior of said device, said enclosure member constituting a platform portion and a wall portion depending from said platform portion, said platform portion having said first access aperture, said wall portion defining the border of said second access aperture, said enclosure member comprising at last one mount means for mounting at least one support for at least one plant contained by a said received plant container.

2. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said first access aperture is substantially rectangular.

3. A device as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein said platform means is substantially rectangular.

4. A device as claimed in claim 3, when according to claim 2, wherein the longer sides of said rectangularfirst access aperture and of said rectan gular platform means are substantially parallel relative to each other.

5. A device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the exterior of said platform portion has a slope to aid passage into said first access aperture of liquid from that exterior.

6. A device as claimed in claim 5, wherein said first access aperture has lip means for guiding into said enclosure space said liquid that passes thereinto via said first access aperture.

7. A device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein said enclosure member has ridge means for resisting passage down the exterior of said wall portion of liquid from the exterior of said platform portion.

8. A device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein said second access aperture is substantially rectangular.

9. A device as claimed in claim 8, when accord ing to claim 2 or 3, wherein the longer sides of said rectangular first access aperture and of said rectan gular second access aperture are substantially para llel relative to each other.

10. A device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein at least part of said wall portion is at right angles to the level of said platform means.

11. A device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein at least part of said wall portion slopes outwardly away from said platform means.

12. A device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein at least part of said wall portion has a decorative exterior outside said device.

13. A device as claimed in claim 12, wherein said decorative exterior has curvature.

14. A device as claimed in claim 13, wherein said curvature is of an ogee.

16. A device as claimed in claim 12, wherein said decorative exterior resembles decorative stone.

17. A device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 16, wherein lip means project inwardly from said border so as to provide an inwardly directed rim.

18. A device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 17, wherein said wall portion has first, second, and third wall sections, said first wall section depending from said platform means, said second wall section depending from said first wall section, and said third wall section depending from said second wall section, wherein said first wall section is a said perpen dicular wall portion according to claim 10 or a said sloping wall portion according to claim 11; said second wall portion is a said decorative wall portion according to any one of claims 12 to 16; and said third wall portion is a said perpendicular wall portion according to claim 10 or a said sloping wall portion according to claim 11.

19. A device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 18, wherein at least one said mount means is comprised by said platform means.

20. A device as claimed in claim 19, wherein at least one said mount means comprised by said platform means is an aperture passing at least partly through the thickness of said platform means.

21. A device as claimed in claim 19 or 20, when at least one said support is mounted to at least one said mounting means comprised by said platform means.

22. A device as claimed in claim 21, wherein at least one said support mounted to at least one said mount means comprised by said platform means is a rod.

23. A device as claimed in claim 21 or 22, wherein at least one said support has a substantially U-shape with the ends of that shape respectively mounted to respective said mount means comprised by said platform means.

24. A device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 23, comprising at least one lug means outwardly projecting from the exterior of said wall portion, said lug means being usable in securing said device to a surface.

25. A device as claimed in claim 24, when according to claim 18, wherein at least one said lug means outwardly projects from said third wall section.

26. A device as claimed in claim 24 or 25, wherein at least one said lug means has an aperture for receiving receiving peg means for securing said device to said surface.

27. A device as claimed in any one of claims 24to 26, wherein the exterior of said wall portion comprises recess means for receiving a said lug means of another said device.

28. A device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 27, wherein said enclosure member is a unitary member.

29. A device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 27, wherein said enclosure member is a composite member.

30. A device as claimed in claim 29, wherein said enclosure member comprises sections thereof storable as a nest of said sections.

31. A device as claimed in claim 30, wherein said storable sections are triangular sections corresponding to division along a diagonal of said rectangular platform means according to claim 3.

32. A device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 31,wherein said enclosure member has been formed by injection moulding technique.

33. A device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 31, wherein said enclosure member has been formed by vacuum moulding technique.

34. A device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 31,wherein said enclosure member has been formed by fibre glass technique.

35. A device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 34, comprising cover means for said first access aperture.

36. A device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 35, comprising strength means for strengthening said device.

37. A device as claimed in claim 36, wherein said strength means comprises frame means inside said device.

38. A device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 37, when having at least one said received plant container.

39. A device as claimed in claim 38, wherein a said received plant container is a plant pot.

40. A device as claimed in claim 38, wherein a said received plant container is a bag.

41. A device as claimed in claim 38, wherein a said received plant container is a plastics bag.

42. A device as claimed in claim 1, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawing.